


This Youthful Heart Can Love You

by hedgewitchbuffy



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-06-01 01:23:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15132002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hedgewitchbuffy/pseuds/hedgewitchbuffy
Summary: When Bella moves to Forks, everyone seems to notice her. Even the Cullens, a supposedly reclusive family of impossibly beautiful people. One Cullen in particular, Alice, takes a liking to Bella, changing her life forever.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! I've decided to rewrite Twilight, but gay. This is my attempt. In this story, Jasper and Alice are not and have never been together, and Bella isn't Edward's singer. A lot of this is going to be essentially the same as in the actual book (especially in the first chapter), since I wanted it to be fairly true to the original story. Feel free to leave any suggestions in the comments, I'm certainly open to them!
> 
> (A quick heads-up: Obviously, I don't own any of the characters in this story.)

The sun shone brightly through the small, rounded window of the airplane, and Bella was basking in it. These were the last few rays of Arizona sun she would be seeing for a long time. The final destination of this trip was a little town called Forks, Washington, where her father Charlie lived. She wasn’t particularly excited about the move—the thought of leaving Phoenix, the city that she loved, and especially of leaving her mother, terrified her. Yet it was for the best that she left, because Phil, her mother’s new husband, traveled a lot. Bella knew her mother wanted to travel with him, so to make her happy, Bella left. Knowing it was the right thing to do was her one source of comfort as the plane took off, headed toward Seattle. She settled back in her seat, closed her eyes, and tuned out the pilot’s voice over the speakers as she thought about the hour-long drive from the airport to Charlie’s home in Forks, knowing it was bound to be awkward.

Unsurprisingly, it was raining when she landed in Port Angeles. Charlie was waiting for her in his cruiser, which was also not a surprise. It was the reason, in fact, that one of the first things Bella intended to do when they got to Charlie’s house was buy a car. Charlie was the chief of police to the good people of Forks, and being driven around in a car with red and blue lights on top sounded agonizing to her. Nothing slows down traffic like a cop.

“It’s good to see you, Bells,” said Charlie when she reached the cruiser. He gave his daughter an awkward, one-armed hug before helping her with her bags. She didn’t have many things with her; most of her clothes were suited to the Arizona heat, and she wouldn’t be needing them. She had bought some warmer clothes to bring, but her wardrobe was still scarce. It all fit easily into the trunk of Charlie’s cruiser. “How’s Renée?”

“Mom’s fine. It’s good to see you, too, Ch-Dad.” Bella stuttered on her father’s name. She was so used to calling him Charlie that she’d almost slipped up and done so to his face. She knew she couldn’t call him that anymore. That would take some getting used to. Bella made her way around her father’s car and stepped off the curb by the passenger door, stumbling a bit as she did so. Charlie reached out to steady her.

“Haven’t changed a bit,” he said, smiling. Bella had always been clumsy, but it was endearing to her father. He opened the door for her before going around to the driver’s side. “So,” he began once they were both in the cruiser. “I found a good car for you, really cheap.”

“What kind of car?” she asked, suspicious.

“Well, it’s a truck really, a Chevy.”

“Where did you find it?”

“Billy Black, from down at La Push, he sold it to me cheap. You probably don’t remember him. Anyway, he’s in a wheelchair now, so he can’t drive the thing. I thought you might like it,” said Charlie. _The thing_ , Bella thought to herself. It made for a decent nickname.

“How cheap is cheap?” she asked, remembering her budget. She didn’t have much to spend on a car, and hadn’t been planning on Charlie finding one for her. The two had been talking about finding one together when Bella got to Forks.

“Well, honey, I kind of already bought it for you. As a homecoming gift,” he said, peeking sideways at her, a small, hesitant smile on his face. Bella was taken aback. Free was a better price than she could have hoped for.

Soon after Bella thanked him, the conversation died down. They exhausted the car discussion fairly quickly (Bella got it out of him that the car was originally from the early sixties, but he assured her it ran great), and exchanged a few comments about the weather—how much wetter it was than Phoenix, mainly—and then their only other option was staring out the windows in silence. Looking around, Bella had to admit, the scenery here was beautiful. It was much greener than she was used to. After a while though, she began to think that perhaps it was too green—like an alien planet.

The first thing Bella noticed when they eventually pulled up to Charlie’s house was the truck—her truck—parked on the street in front of it. It was a faded red color, with big, rounded fenders and a bulbous cab. To her surprise, she loved it. She could really see herself driving it, and it looked sturdy despite its age. If it was true that it ran fine, then she was more than happy with it. Bella smiled and got out of Charlie’s cruiser to get a closer look.

“Wow, dad, I love it! Thank you so much!” she said, grinning, running her hand along the body.

“I’m glad you like it,” Charlie said, embarrassed. He, like Bella, wasn’t particularly comfortable expressing his emotions out loud, so he could be a bit awkward whenever he tried.

When Bella and her father went into the house, it only took one trip to get all of her stuff upstairs to the west bedroom, the one that faced out over the front yard. This room was familiar to Bella. It had been hers for the past seventeen years, ever since she was born, and even though three summers ago she had finally put her foot down and stopped coming to stay in Forks, it remained largely unchanged. The wooden floors, the light blue walls, the yellowed lace curtains around the window, even the rocking chair from when she was a baby was still in the corner. All of this had been there since the room first became hers, except for the bed that had replaced the crib and a desk that was added to the room as she grew up. Now, all that was different from when she had last seen it was the secondhand computer sitting on the desk. This was a stipulation from her mother, so the two of them could stay in touch easily. After she had her bags in the room, Bella went to the bathroom to put her toiletries away and freshen up a bit after a day of traveling. The bathroom was the only one in the house, and she would have to share it with Charlie—a fact she was trying not to dwell on. She looked at herself in the mirror above the sink, and thought that, somehow, she already looked sallower, unhealthy. Bella had always been pale, despite living in a city with near-constant sun, but her skin could be pretty. It all depended on color though, and maybe it was the lighting, but looking at herself then, she felt she had none. After washing her face, Bella went back to her room to start putting her things away.

To Bella, one of the best things about Charlie is he doesn’t hover. She had been left alone to unpack and get settled, something that would not have been possible with her mother. She appreciated the time to herself, not having to act pleased, free to stare dejectedly out the window at the sheeting rain and let a few tears escape. She promised herself that wouldn’t truly cry though, not yet anyway. She would have to hold on until bedtime, when she would have to think about the coming morning.

Forks high school had a total of only three hundred and fifty-seven—now fifty-eight—students. This was nothing like Bella’s school back home; her junior class alone had over seven-hundred people in it. In Forks, all of the kids had grown up together, and everybody knew each other. Bella would be the new girl from the big city. A curiosity, she thought; a freak. If she looked like a girl from Phoenix, maybe she could use this to her advantage, but physically, she felt she’d never fit in anywhere. One would expect her to be tan, sporty, blond; all the things that go with life in a city with near-constant sunshine. She didn’t have the excuse of light hair or light eyes for her fair complexion though, and she was too slender and soft to be an athlete, not to mention her lack of coordination. All of this had made her a bit of an outsider at her old school. She had had a few friends over the years, but nothing ever clicked. She never found her niche, and was worried that if she were unable to do so in a school with three thousand people, her chances here were fairly slim. Bella also worried that, in such a small town, people wouldn’t be as accepting of the fact than she was gay as they were back in Phoenix. She had decided to keep that to herself for now, at least until she could get a feel for people’s attitudes in Forks. It could go either way, really. Washington was likely to be more accepting, but with a small town, no matter the state, attitudes were unpredictable.

Part of the problem Bella had with making friends was she didn’t relate well to people her age. Or, if she were being honest with herself, maybe she didn’t relate well to people at all. She never even felt totally in harmony with her own mother, who she was closer to than anyone. Sometimes she felt like she just didn’t quite see the world the way everyone else did. Sighing, Bella finished putting her clothes in the old pine dresser and climbed into bed. She didn’t sleep well that night though, even after she was done crying. The constant whooshing of the rain and wind across the roof wouldn’t fade into the background, too unfamiliar to her to be comforting. She pulled the faded old quilt over her head in an attempt to drown it out, and later added the pillow, too. It was after midnight when she finally fell asleep, after the rain had settled into a quieter drizzle.

When she woke up, thick fog was all that was visible out her bedroom window. She felt vaguely claustrophobic as she got dressed for the day and went downstairs. Breakfast with Charlie was a quiet event. He wished his daughter good luck at school, and she thanked him, despite knowing his hope was wasted. Bella felt that good luck tended to avoid her. Charlie left first, off to the police station. After he was gone Bella sat at the old square oak table in one of the three mismatched chairs and examined his small kitchen, with its dark paneled walls, bright yellow cabinets, and white linoleum floor.

Nothing had changed in the years since Bella’s mother Renée left Charlie. They had bought this small, two-bedroom house together in the early days of their marriage. Those were the only kind of days their marriage had—the early ones. Eighteen years ago, Renée had painted the cabinets in an attempt to bring some sunshine into the house, since there was none to be had outside of it. Over the small fireplace in the small adjoining family room was a row of pictures. First, a wedding photo of Charlie and Renée in Las Vegas, followed by one of the them with a newborn Bella in the hospital. After that was a procession of Bella’s school pictures, up to last year’s. Those were embarrassing—Bella thought she’d have to remember to talk to Charlie about those and see if he would take them down. It was impossible, being in this house, not to realize that Charlie had never gotten over Renée. It made Bella uncomfortable. Not wanting to be in the house anymore, Bella donned her jacket, which felt too big and unfamiliar, and headed out into the rain. It was just drizzling, not enough to soak her through immediately as Bella headed for her truck, but she hurried anyway. Inside, it was nice and dry. The truck had obviously been cleaned up before it was given to her, but the tan upholstered seats still smelled faintly of tobacco, gasoline, and peppermint. Thankfully, the engine started quickly and without protest, but once it roared to life, it kept roaring, and at top volume. This was frustrating, but a truck this old couldn’t be perfect. The radio worked though, a plus Bella hadn’t expected.

Finding the school wasn’t difficult, though she’d never been there before. It was, like most other things, just off the highway. Bella would have driven right past it if it hadn’t been for the sign which declared it to be the Forks High School, as it looked nothing like the high schools she was used to seeing. It simply looked like a collection of matching houses, built with maroon-colored bricks. Plus, there was so much greenery around it that she couldn’t see its size at first. She nostalgically wondered where the feel of the institution was, the chain-link fences, the metal detectors.

Bella parked in front of the first building, which had a small sign over the door reading front office. She decided to go get directions from inside, and regrettably stepped out from the warmth of the truck cab and back into the biting rain. Inside, the space was brightly lit, and warmer than she had expected. The office was small. It had a little waiting area, color-flecked carpet, and notices and awards cluttering the walls. The large clock in the room was ticking loudly as Bella looked around. The room was cut in half by a long, cluttered counter. Bella approached it, and a woman in a purple t-shirt and thin wire glasses looked up from her place at one of the three desks behind the counter.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“I’m Isabella Swan,” Bella said, and saw the recognition dawn on her face. Bella was a topic of gossip at the school, her arrival highly anticipated. The daughter of the Chief’s flighty ex-wife, come home at last. She had been dreading this reaction. She wasn’t one to enjoy being at the center of attention.

“Of course,” the woman from the office said. She dug through a precariously stacked pile of documents on her desk until she found the ones she was looking for. “I have your schedule right here, and a map of the school.” She brought the papers up to the counter where Bella stood, showing them to her. She went through Bella’s schedule, and showed her her classes on the map, highlighting the best routes to take from building to building. She then gave Bella a slip of paper to have each teacher sign, which she was to bring back at the end of the day. The woman smiled at Bella as she turned to leave, and Bella offered what she hoped was a convincing smile back.

By the time Bella made it back to her truck, other students were starting to arrive, and she decided to follow the line of traffic to find where she was supposed to park. She was glad to see that most of the other cars were older like hers, nothing flashy, save for a single shiny Volvo in the lot. At home, she’d lived in one of the few lower-income neighborhoods that were included in the Paradise Valley District. It was not at all uncommon to see brand-new luxury cars in the student lot there. As soon as Bella was in a spot, she cut the engine to her truck, knowing that its thunderous volume could still draw unwanted attention to her even if the truck itself blended in with the rest. Before getting out, Bella took a long look at the map the woman in the office had given her, hoping she would be able to memorize it now instead of having to walk around with it all day. Finally, feeling that she’d absorbed all she could from it, she stuffed the papers into her backpack and slung a strap over her shoulder. Sucking in a huge breath and holding it, she put her hand on the door handle. _I can do this_ , she lied to herself feebly. Then, she exhaled and stepped out of the truck. On the walk to the school, she kept her face pulled back into the hood of her black jacket, which thankfully didn’t stand out from the others. She was looking for building three, where her first class of the day was. It was easy to spot once she got close to the cafeteria. Bella walked up to the building with a large black ‘3’ painted on the side, and followed two students through the door. The classroom was small. The people in front of Bella stopped just inside the room to hang up their coats on a long row of hooks, and she followed suit. The students in front of her were, she noticed, very pale. She was glad that at least her complexion wouldn’t stand out in Forks.

After Bella took the slip from the office up to the teacher, whose nameplate identified him as Mr. Mason, she was sent to an empty desk in the back of the class. Bella had hoped it would be harder for the students to stare at her from the back, but they still managed. She did her best to pretend not to notice, instead focusing on the reading list for the class that Mr. Mason had handed to her. It was fairly basic. She had already read everything, which was comforting, but also boring. The teacher droned on while she wondered if her mother would send her some of her old essays, or if she would think that was cheating.

When the bell rang, a gangly boy with skin problems and hair black as an oil slick leaned across the aisle to talk to her.

“You’re Isabella Swan, aren’t you?” said the boy. He seemed overly helpful, and a little nerdy. The chess club type, Bella thought.

“Just Bella,” she corrected. A few kids turned to look at her when she spoke.

“Where’s your next class?” The boy asked. Bella had to check her bag.

“Um,” she began, flipping through the stack of papers she had been given. She felt her cheeks get a bit warm, feeling silly for not at least knowing class number two. “Government,” she said when she finally found it. “With Jefferson, in building six.” Bella glanced up and found that there was nowhere to look without meeting curious eyes.

“I’m headed toward building four, I could show you the way.” The boy said. Bella had been right—definitely over-helpful, she thought. “I’m Eric, by the way,” he added. Bella smiled politely. She knew he was just being nice, even if she didn’t want the attention, and years of living with her eccentric mother had given her the patience she would need to get through talking to all the curious students she was sure to encounter that day.

“Thanks,” Bella said. They got their jackets and headed back out into the rain, which had picked up.

“So, this is a lot different than Phoenix, huh?” said Eric. _That’s an understatement_ , thought Bella.

“Very,” she said.

“It doesn’t rain much there, does it?”

“Just three or four times a year.”

“Wow, what must that be like?” he wondered.

“Sunny,” she told him.

“You don’t look very tan.” He said. Bella had anticipated this observation from others, but it still made her feel a bit self-conscious. She shrugged, not knowing what to say. Eric walked Bella all the way to building six, which was among the south buildings by the gym. He walked her right to the door, though it was clearly marked. Bella didn’t feel this was necessary, but reminded herself that he was just being friendly.

“Well, good luck,” said Eric as Bella reached for the door handle. “Maybe we’ll have some other classes together,” he said, sounding hopeful. She smiled at him before going inside.

The rest of the morning passed in the same fashion, other than in Trigonometry, when Mr. Varner, the teacher, had Bella stand in front of the class and introduce herself. The incident resulted in lots of stammering, blushing, and a trip on the way back to her seat. This was not surprising, but humiliating nonetheless. In each class, there were some faces she recognized from a class she’d had before then, and there was always someone braver than the others who would introduce themselves and ask her questions about how she was liking Forks. It was tiring, but on the upside, at least she never needed the map. Everyone here was being extremely friendly, but Bella was generally a very shy person. She was torn between wanting to make friends and wanting to blend in.

One girl, Jessica, sat next to Bella in both Trig and Spanish, and she walked with her to the cafeteria for lunch. The girl was tiny, several inches shorter than Bella’s five feet four inches, but her wildly curly dark hair made up a lot of the difference between their heights. They sat at the end of a full table with several of her friends, who she introduced to Bella. Bella tried to remember their names as the girl said them, but was unsuccessful. The boy from English, Eric, waved at Bella from across the room. It was then when she first noticed them.

They were sitting in the corner of the cafeteria, as far away from where Bella sat as possible in the long room. There were four of them. They weren’t talking, and they weren’t eating, though they each had a tray of untouched food in front of them. They weren’t gawking at Bella, unlike many of the other students, so it was safe to stare at them without fear of meeting an excessively interested pair of eyes. But it was none of these things that caught, and held, her attention.

They somehow looked both completely unalike each other, and remarkably similar. Of the three boys, one was big—very tall, broad-shouldered, and impressively muscled. The boy next to him was taller, and leaner than the boy next to him, but still muscular, with wavy, honey blond hair that fell at his jaw whereas the other boy’s was very short and dark. The last was smaller, less bulky, with untidy, bronze-colored hair. He was more boyish than the others, who looked like they could be in college, or even teachers rather than students. The girl with them was statuesque, with a beautiful figure, the kind usually seen on actresses and models. Her hair was golden like the hair of one of the boys, gently waving to the middle of her back. Bella’s heart skipped a beat at the sight of her: she more beautiful than any girl she could ever remember seeing. However, while all of their features were very much different from one another, there was no denying how similar they were. Every one of them was shockingly pale, the palest of all the students living in this sunless town. Their eyes were also all very dark, despite the range in their hair colors. They had dark circles under their eyes, too, almost bruiselike, as if they were all suffering from sleep deprivation or a broken nose. None of their noses looked like they had ever been broken though, as all of their features were perfectly symmetrical, straight, angular. However, none of this was why Bella couldn’t look away. She stared because these people, so different, so similar, were all devastatingly, inhumanly beautiful.

“Who are they?” Bella asked Jessica. She looked up to see who Bella meant. As she did this, the boyish one glanced their way, and met Bella’s staring eyes. He looked bored at first, but then something shifted in his face and he looked over at Bella intensely, his brows drawn together, his head tilted to the side. Maybe he had heard about Bella’s arrival just like all the other students, but it seemed unlikely to her that a boy like him would care about the current gossip.

“That’s Edward and Emmett Cullen, and Rosalie and Jasper Hale. They all live together with Dr. Cullen and his wife,” said Bella’s neighbor under her breath. Bella glanced back over to the table, and the copper-haired boy had looked away again, focusing his attention on his lunch now, though he still did not eat it. _Strange, unpopular names_ , Bella thought.

“They’re very… nice-looking.” Bella said, struggling with the conspicuous understatement.

“Yes!” Jessica agreed with a giggle.

“Which ones are the Cullens?” she asked. “They don’t look related.”

“Oh, they’re not. Dr. Cullen is really young, in his twenties or early thirties. They’re all adopted. The big one and the redhead are the Cullens. There’s another one, too, a girl. Alice Cullen. I don’t see her though,” said Jessica, looking around despite knowing the Cullens never strayed from their usual table together. “The blond ones are twins—the Hales. They’re foster children. Been with Mrs. Cullen for ten years, since they were eight. She’s their aunt or something.” Jessica finished talking, and the pair of them glanced back over to the table where the four of beautiful people still sat in silence together. Bella was too entranced by them to notice when Alice, the fifth Cullen, entered the Cafeteria.

Alice had not meant to be late for lunch. She was worried about it, in fact, because it had been some time since her family’s last hunt, and Jasper, the Cullen with the least self-control of them, would be having a difficult time being in a room so full of humans today. The family relied on Alice during times like these. Because of her special talent, she would be able to see, if it came to that, Jasper’s decision to kill someone before he made it, and she could intercept. If she wasn’t with her siblings though, then she could not give this warning. If she could capture Edward’s attention by thinking his name, then perhaps he could read her mind and see the vision she was having, but that would take longer. It was dangerous to waste time like that. Besides, he seemed to be very distracted at the moment. She turned to see what he was so focused on, and saw the new girl. Instantly, she was hit with a vision.

For nearly two decades, Alice had been having the same visions over and over. They were all centered around her, and her relationship with… someone. Who, Alice did not know. The other woman in these visions was always obscured from view, blurred indefinitely until Alice met the girl and could connect her to the visions. She had shared this with her family, of course, and Edward had seen many of them for himself, whenever he was undistracted enough to see her thoughts accidentally. He had to focus on giving his family privacy, and sometimes there wasn’t enough for him to focus on. They had all discussed these visions, and they had all talked of coming across another one of their kind—a vampire—when talking of the mystery girl. Never would any of them had dreamed that Alice would fall for a human. Really, it wasn’t that far-fetched that, of all of them, Alice would fall for a human girl. She related better to the humans than any of the other Cullens, save for Carlisle, who was constantly interacting with them. Carlisle was their father, at least in every way that counted. Still, Alice was surprised by the visions she had now.

Bella Swan was now being stared at by two vampires—Edward, who was for some reason finding her mind difficult to read, and Alice, who had just fallen in love with her. Every vision Alice had ever had of this future mate was filled in, unobscured, and Alice saw her future clearly now: she would, eventually, form a relationship with this human, who would one day become one of them. This future was clear, because Alice would not fight it. She couldn’t.

The vision lasted much longer than her visions usually do, and when she refocused on the present, she noticed Rosalie and Emmett staring at her. She shook her head at them, knowing they were wondering what she had just seen. Edward was still staring at Bella, and Jasper, Alice realized, was staring thirstily at a young girl standing by the table next to theirs. Alice remembered why she had hurried to the cafeteria in the first place and focused on Jasper’s future as best as she could. Edward seemed to notice Jasper, too. His thoughts were loud as he considered draining the blood of the girl near them. He was picturing it. Edward kicked his chair.

“Sorry,” Jasper muttered as Alice began to stride across the room. Bella saw her as she crossed over to the Cullens’ table, and immediately knew from the girl’s dark undereyes and uniquely chalky complexion that she was a Cullen. Watching her, Bella saw that she was short, even shorter than Jessica. She probably wasn’t even five feet tall, Bella thought. She was also very slender, with small features. Like the other Cullens, she had dark eyes, as dark as her deep black hair, which was cropped short. She looked almost pixielike. She walked across the cafeteria quickly yet gracefully, almost as if she was gliding across the floor; a lope that belonged on a runway. Bella’s mouth fell open slightly at the sight.

“You weren’t going to do anything,” Alice murmured to Jasper as she sat down next to him, soothing his chagrin. "I could see that." Edward, his focus now off of Bella, fought back the grimace that would give his sister’s lie away. They had to stick together, he and Alice. It wasn't easy, hearing voices or seeing visions of the future. They were both freaks among those who were already freaks, and they protected each other’s secrets.

"It helps a little if you think of them as people," Alice suggested, her high, musical voice too fast for human ears to understand, if any had been close enough to hear. "Her name is Whitney. She has a baby sister she adores. Her mother invited Esme to that garden party, do you remember?"

"I know who she is," Jasper said curtly. He turned away to stare out one of the small windows that were spaced just under the eaves around the long room. His tone ended the conversation. Bella, who had watched Alice’s progress across the room, now stared curiously at the way her lips moved. She must have been speaking to the others, but her mouth was nearly closed, moving strangely fast.

“Is that Alice?” Bella asked Jessica in a low voice. The dark-haired girl looked her way when she said the name, though she was surely too far to hear, and their eyes met. Bella thought Alice’s stare held some strange depth to it, but it was probable that Bella had just imagined it. She looked away, the action a little harder than she expected under Alice’s gaze, which was incredibly captivating. She turned to face Jessica, who nodded in response to Bella’s question.

“Have the Cullens always lived in Forks?” Bella asked. Surely, she would have noticed them during one of her summers here.

“No, they just moved down two years ago from somewhere in Alaska,” Jessica replied. At this, Bella felt both pity and relief. Pity, because they were outsiders, clearly not accepted despite their undeniable beauty. Relief because she was definitely not the most interesting newcomer here, by any standard. Glancing at their table, Bella saw that Alice was looking at her, though she quickly looked away when she locked eyes with her. Alice would ordinarily be watching Bella’s future to see if she was going to look up, but she was too focused on Jasper’s future at the moment. No matter how badly she wanted to focus her attention on the girl, if Jasper did something bad, attacked a human, then the Cullens would be forced to leave and Alice would lose her chance with Bella entirely. Edward glanced at Bella then too, looked focused, almost frustrated, before looking away again. His gaze was a little unsettling to Bella, where Alice’s was nothing short of enchanting.

“Which one is the boy with the reddish brown hair?” Bella asked, braving another peek at the Cullens out of the corner of her eye. None of them were looking anymore.

“That’s Edward. He’s gorgeous, of course, but don’t waste your time. He doesn’t date. Apparently, none of the girls here are good-looking enough for him.” She sniffed, a clear case of sour grapes. Bella wondered when he’d turned her down. She didn't respond to Jessica, who clearly thought Bella was asking because she was interested, not wanting to give her sexuality away too quickly. After a moment, Bella couldn’t help but look over to where the Cullens sat again. Edward was turned away, but his cheeks appeared lifted, as if he were smiling.

After a few more minutes, the Cullens left the cafeteria together. They were all notably graceful—even the big, brawny one, Bella noticed. She deduced that he must be Emmett, remembering Edward as the youngest and Jasper as the blond. Alice was still the most graceful of them however, almost dancing across the floor. Alice looked at Bella again as she walked by, and Bella looked down at her lunch, feeling self-conscious under her intense gaze.

One of Bella’s new acquaintances, who reminded her that her name was Angela, had Biology with her after lunch, and they walked to class together in silence. Bella thought she must be shy, too. It was refreshing. When they entered the classroom, Angela went to sit down in her seat. She already had a neighbor. Looking around, Bella noticed only one seat open for herself. Next to the center aisle, Edward Cullen sat alone at one of the black-topped lab tables. Looking away from him for the moment, Bella walked over to the teacher, Mr. Banner, and had him sign her slip. He handed it back to her, and then sent her to the only open seat in the room. She kept her eyes down as she went to her new seat.

Bella didn’t look up as she set her things down and took her seat, but she could see him staring at her out of the corner of her eye. After a moment, she glanced over, smiling weakly, and he smiled back.

“Hello,” He said, pushing off of the wall he was leaning against and shifting in his seat to face her. “I’m Edward. You must be Bella Swan.”

“Hi, yeah, I am,” she said, a bit shocked that he was talking to her. “How’d you know?” He smiled slightly.

“I think everyone here knows your name. The whole town was waiting for you to arrive.”

“I figured,” she said, looking down again. So close, it was hard for her to look into his dark eyes for too long. He looked at her with an unusual intensity. “You said Bella, though. Everyone’s been calling me Isabella.”

“Is that what you prefer?” he asked.

“No, I like Bella. I think my dad must call me Isabella behind my back or something though. That’s what everyone seems to know me as,” she said.

“Oh,” was all Edward replied with, letting it drop. He’d slipped up. If he hadn’t been listening to her conversation during lunch, trying to decipher her thoughts, he would not have called her Bella. She was quite observant; he would have to be more careful.

It was that moment that Mr. Banner decided to start class, and Bella was thankful. She felt like things were about to become awkward between her and Edward. She leaned back in her chair and listened to the teacher go over the syllabus, pretending to be entirely focused on what he had to say. When he was done, he handed out worksheets they were to complete in class. They were permitted to work with their lab partner. Edward made small talk with Bella for most of the period, as they both finished their worksheets relatively quickly. He had decided that there must be something strange about Bella that prevented him from reading her mind, not something wrong with him, and he was determined to understand her. Bella noticed during their conversation that he had a very formal way of speaking, which she found interesting. He was kind, no longer staring at her with the same intensity after they had talked for a while, and she wondered why everyone seemed to avoid him. After class was over, he volunteered to clean off the table. They exchanged goodbyes, and he walked away to put the supplies they’d gathered back where they go as Bella began to pack up her things.

“Aren’t you Isabella Swan?” a male voice asked from beside her. She looked up to see a cute, baby-faced boy, his pale blond hair carefully gelled into orderly spikes, smiling at her in a friendly way.

“Bella,” she corrected him, with a smile.

“I’m Mike.”

“Hi, Mike.”

“Do you need any help finding your next class?”

“I’m headed to the gym, actually. I think I can find it.”

“That’s my next class, too!” he said, seeming thrilled. They walked to class together, and Bella immediately noticed that he’s a chatterer. He supplied most of the conversation, which made it easy for her. She found out that he moved here from California when he was ten, so he knew how she felt about the sun. Apparently, he was in her English class as well. He was likely the nicest person she’d met all day.

“So, what was with you and Edward Cullen? I don’t think I’ve ever seen him talk that much to anyone,” he said. Bella hadn’t known that it was unusual for him to talk to someone sitting right next to him. It seemed like a perfectly normal thing to do.

“We just made small talk is all,” she said.

“Huh,” said Mike, lingering by her instead of heading to the dressing room. “Well, I guess if I were lucky enough to sit by you, I’d be talking to you, too.”

Bella smiled at him before walking through the girls’ locker room door. Thankfully, the gym teacher, Coach Clapp, wasn’t making her dress down for class. As thankful as she was for this, she was upset that she had to take gym at all this year. Back in Phoenix, only two years were required. P.E. was mandatory all four years here.

After class, Bella headed to the office to drop off the slip she’d been given that morning. Then, she began to walk to her truck. She took her backpack off and held it in front of her, so she could more easily search through it for her keys, not paying much attention to where she was going. As she stepped off of the stairs and onto the sidewalk, she felt herself collide with something very hard, causing her to drop her bag. A calculator and a handful of pens slid from the open compartment. When she looked up, she realized that she had run into a person, and instantly she flushed red. Bella recognized the petite girl, who had been walking down the sidewalk perpendicular to her, as Alice Cullen.

“I am so sorry,” Bella said, crouching down to shove her things back into her bag.

“That’s alright,” said Alice. She smiled sweetly at Bella. She of course knew this would happen; she had planned it this way, in fact. She timed it perfectly so that Bella would bump into her. It seemed, to Alice, like an adorable way for them to meet. Alice was kneeling down next to Bella now, and held out a pen the human girl had missed, careful not to let her cold skin touch Bella’s warm fingertips, lest she startle the girl. Alice had noticed that Bella didn’t seem to care for the cold. Bella took the pen, smiling sheepishly at Alice. “Hey, you’re Bella, right?” said Alice, standing up. Bella noticed that didn’t call her ‘Isabella’ just like Edward, but this time said nothing. She stood up too then, zipping up her bag and slinging it over her shoulder.

“I am,” Bella replied. “And you’re Alice?” The girl beamed up at her, and Bella’s heart raced. She couldn’t have looked away from her even if she tried. It wasn’t just her beauty that captivated her either, even if she was very much physically captivating. It was the way Alice looked at her; the same way as before. With the ‘something more’ that Bella couldn’t quite put her finger on. It was strange, but Alice’s eyes, even if the color was a bit unsettling, were kind, gentle. Bella didn’t at all mind being looked at that way by a beautiful girl.

“That’s me!” said Alice, perking up and still smiling widely. Bella couldn’t help but smile back. Alice’s enthusiasm was contagious. She seemed genuinely thrilled to see Bella, despite never having met her. “So, how was your first day?”

“It was fine,” Bella lied. Alice didn’t seem entirely convinced. She looked like she was about to say something else when the blond boy, one of the twins, walked over. The one called Jasper, Bella remembered. He looked to be in immense pain, and kept his distance from the girls.

“Alice, are you coming?” he asked, his body stiff and totally still. Bella couldn’t even see him breathing.

“Yes,” she said, glancing at Bella briefly before looking back to him. He nodded, and hurriedly walked toward the parking lot, careful to steer clear of the other students as he went. “I really have to go, I don’t want to keep my family waiting. Sorry,” she said, and she truly looked sorry to have to go.

“That’s alright,” said Bella, smiling shyly.

“I’ll see you tomorrow!” Alice called as she walked backwards in the direction Jasper had gone. Bella was impressed with her ability to remain graceful even when she couldn’t see where she was going. Bella surely would have fallen had she attempted to do the same thing. Alice smiled at Bella one last time before turning around. Bella let out a sigh after she was gone, and stood in place for a moment, collecting herself. The attention from everyone at school that day had been expected, but something about the attention she got from the two Cullens she’d met felt different. Edward, because apparently any attention from him was unusual, and Alice, because she had almost acted as if Bella were an old friend whose return she had been looking forward to for a long time. Bella was flattered by it, certainly, but still a bit shocked. Once she finally snapped out of it, she headed to her truck and climbed in. She sat there quietly for as long as she could bear before she felt too cold and started the engine, holding her hands in front of the vents before driving away. She headed back to Charlie’s house, her mind racing with thoughts of the Cullens the whole way there.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter two! I know Alice isn't in this one much, but she'll be in the story more later, I promise.

Bella’s second day at Forks High went largely as expected. Mike came to sit by her in English, and he walked her to her next class. Eric, the nerdy boy who had done the same for her the day before, seemed bothered by this, which was nattering. Bella was glad to find that people didn’t stare quite as much as they had yesterday. At lunch, she sat with a big group that included Mike, Jessica, Eric, and several others who she remembered meeting before. Things were looking up. Unfortunately though, she was running on little sleep, as she still hadn’t adjusted to the sound of the wind and the rain outside. Over at the Cullen table, Edward continued to try and hear Bella’s thoughts, though at this point he knew it was a lost cause. If he were unable to do it yesterday, then it would be the same today. Alice, too, was focused on Bella, and kept glancing her way. She made sure to monitor Bella’s decisions, careful to look away whenever she or any of her friends were going to look at the Cullens. Alice thought Bella was beautiful, and wanted nothing more than to admire her. However, she also wanted Bella to like her. Being caught ogling at the girl, she knew, was not the best way to achieve that. It was more likely to make Bella uncomfortable.

Mike walked with Bella to Biology after lunch, talking about an upcoming trip to the beach. Bella felt he was beginning to take on the qualities of a golden retriever. He didn’t seem through chatting when they walked into class, but he seemed less than eager to be in close proximity to Edward, so he went to his own desk.

Edward and Bella said hello to one another, but didn’t have the chance to talk much after that, as class for the day was strictly lecture—no lab. Class went by slowly, and Bella could have sworn that Edward kept looking at her like he had during lunch the day before, but she made a point of keeping her eyes on her notes. The rest of her day went, for the most part, well, save for an uncomfortable incident in gym involving a volleyball. When school was out, Bella hurried to her truck and made her way to the Thriftway to buy groceries. Charlie, who was not much of a cook, agreed to let Bella make the food while she was living there. Starting her truck, she did her best to ignore the heads that turned at the sound of its engine. As she drove out of the parking lot, she saw the Cullens getting into the shiny new Volvo she had seen when she first arrived here. _Of course it’s their car_ , Bella thought. She also noticed, now that she looked, that their clothes, too, looked expensive. They all dressed exceptionally well; nothing flashy, but also certainly nothing Bella could afford. It seemed unfair that they could have both looks and money, but that seemed to be how life worked most of the time.

When she got home, Bella put the potatoes she had purchased in the oven and went up to her room. After emailing her mother, who had sent Bella three emails that day, she started on her homework. She was reading Wuthering Heights for English when Charlie came home. Remembering she still had the potatoes in the oven, she hurried downstairs to take the potatoes out and put the steak in to broil. She said hello to Charlie as he hung his gun belt up and slipped off his boots, and the two chatted about dinner for a moment before Charlie went into the living room to watch TV. Bella called him in when dinner was ready, and they ate in a comfortable silence. In some ways, they were well suited for living together.

“So, how do you like school? Have you made any friends?” he asked as he was taking seconds.

“Well, I have a few classes with a girl named Jessica. I sit with her and her friends at lunch. And there’s this boy, Mike, who’s very friendly. Everybody seems pretty nice.”

"That must be Mike Newton. Nice kid — nice family. His dad owns the sporting goods store just outside of town. He makes a good living off all the backpackers who come through here." Bella nodded, though Charlie’s back was turned to her.

“Do you know the Cullen family?” she asked as Charlie sat down again with his plate.

“Dr. Cullen’s family? Sure. Dr. Cullen’s a great man.”

“They… the kids… are a little different. They don’t seem to fit in very well at school.” Charlie surprised Bella by looking angry.

“People in this town,” he muttered through a mouthful of steak. He swallowed before continuing. "Dr. Cullen is a brilliant surgeon who could probably work in any hospital in the world, make ten times the salary he gets here," he continued, getting louder. "We're lucky to have him — lucky that his wife wanted to live in a small town. He's an asset to the community, and all of those kids are well behaved and polite. I had my doubts, when they first moved in, with all those adopted teenagers. I thought we might have some problems with them. But they're all very mature — I haven't had one speck of trouble from any of them. That's more than I can say for the children of some folks who have lived in this town for generations. And they stick together the way a family should —camping trips every other weekend… Just because they're newcomers, people have to talk."

It was the longest speech she'd ever heard Charlie make. He clearly felt strongly about whatever people were saying.

"They seemed nice enough to me,” she said, trying to be more complimentary. “I sit by Edward in Biology, and he’s very kind. Alice said hello to me after school yesterday. I just noticed they mostly keep to themselves. They're all very attractive," she added, trying to lighten the mood. It seemed to work: Charlie started laughing.

"You should see the doctor," Charlie said. "It's a good thing he's happily married. A lot of the nurses at the hospital have a hard time concentrating on their work with him around."

They lapsed back into silence as they finished eating. He cleared the table while Bella started on the dishes. After that, Charlie went back to the TV, and when she’d finished washing the dishes by hand—no dishwasher—Bella went upstairs begrudgingly to work on her math homework. She could feel a tradition in the making.

Bella was finally able to sleep that night. For once, it wasn’t raining. She fell asleep quickly, exhausted.

The rest of the week was uneventful. Bella got used to the routine of her classes. By Friday she was able to recognize, if not name, almost all the students at school. In Gym, the kids on her team learned not to pass her the ball and to step quickly in front of her if the other team tried to take advantage of her weakness. She happily stayed out of their way. Edward continued to be perfectly civil in class, though he still stared at Bella with a peculiar level of focus. There were a couple of times when it almost looked like Alice was going to say something to Bella whenever they passed each other between classes, but she never did.

Bella’s first weekend in Forks passed without incident, too. Charlie, unused to spending time in the usually empty house, worked most of the weekend. Bella cleaned the house, got ahead on her homework, and wrote her mom more bogusly cheerful e-mail. She did drive to the library Saturday, but it was so poorly stocked that she didn't bother to get a card; she would have to make a date to visit Olympia or Seattle soon and find a good bookstore. She wondered idly what kind of gas mileage the truck got, and shuddered at the thought.

The rain stayed soft over the weekend, quiet, so Bella was able to sleep well.

People greeted Bella in the parking lot Monday morning. She didn't know all their names, but waved back and smiled at everyone. It was colder this morning, but not raining. In English, Mike took his accustomed seat by Bella’s side. They had a pop quiz on Wuthering Heights. It was straightforward, and Bella didn’t have any trouble with it. All in all, Bella was feeling a lot more comfortable than she had thought she would feel by this point. More comfortable than she had ever expected to feel in Forks.

When they walked out of class, the air was full of swirling bits of white. Bella could hear people shouting excitedly to each other. The wind bit at her cheeks, her nose.

"Wow," Mike said. "It's snowing."

Bella looked at the icy fluffs that were building up along the sidewalk and swirling erratically past her face. She grimaced, and Mike noticed.

“Do you not like snow?” he asked.

“I’ve never seen it,” she said. “But I know I hate the cold.”

“Never?” Mike said, his eyebrows raised in surprise.  Bella shook her head. Mike opened his mouth to reply, but he was hit in the back of the head by a snowball before he got the chance. A few stray bits of it hit the side of Bella’s face, the cold slush melting against her skin. She wiped it off quickly, feeling frustrated. Mike was already bent over next to her scraping together his own snowball, his eye on Eric, who was hurriedly walking away from them in the opposite direction of his next class.

“I’ll see you at lunch, okay?” Bella said, walking as she spoke. “Once people start throwing wet stuff, I go inside.” Mike nodded, barely glancing at her. He was very focused on Eric’s retreating figure.

Throughout the morning, everyone chattered excitedly about the snow; it was the first snowfall of the new year. Bella kept her mouth shut. She had to admit it was pretty, but it was very cold, and somehow she’d gotten some in her boot, where it melted in her socks.

Bella walked alertly to the cafeteria with Jessica after Spanish. Snow was flying everywhere. She kept a binder in her hands, ready to use it as a shield if necessary. Jessica thought it was hilarious, but something in Bella’s expression kept her from lobbing a snowball at her herself.

Mike caught up to the girls as they walked in the doors, laughing, with ice melting the spikes in his hair. He and Jessica were talking animatedly about the snowball fight as they all got in line to buy food. Bella glanced toward that table in the corner out of habit. Immediately she noticed that there was something different about the Cullens. She looked away while she got her lunch and sat down, but when she looked back, she realized that none of them were sulking quietly like usual. Instead, they were all laughing. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett all had their hair entirely saturated with melting snow. Alice and Rosalie were leaning away as Emmett shook his dripping hair toward them. Rosalie looked thoroughly unamused, but Alice had a smile on her face. They were enjoying the snowy day, just like everyone else. _Only they look more like a scene from a movie than the rest of us_ , Bella thought. Aside from the behavior change though, something else was different, too. Bella looked closely, examining them. She noticed then that they were less pale, and the circles under their eyes were faded. Something else was different as well, but she couldn’t pinpoint what.

“Bella, what are you looking at?” Jessica said, turning around to where she was staring. Just then, Alice’s eyes flashed over to meet Bella’s. The eye contact lasted for just a moment. She smiled before looking away, and Bella’s heart leapt. She was so beautiful. “Bella,” Jessica said, trying to get her attention. She looked back to her, embarrassed.

“Sorry,” Bella said. “Do the Cullens seem different to you?” Jessica looked at them for a moment, and then shrugged.

“Maybe,” she said. Mike got their attention then, informing them that he was planning an epic battle of the blizzard in the parking lot after school. He wanted them to join. Jessica agreed enthusiastically, looking at Mike in a way that left little doubt that she would be up for anything he suggested. Bella didn’t say anything, silently planning to hide in the gym until the parking lot cleared. Alice didn’t look at Bella again for the rest of lunch. Instead, she continued to chat with the other Cullens. They all seemed very happy today.

When lunch ended, Bella tried to think of an excuse to avoid walking with Mike to class like usual. He seemed to be a popular target for snowballs. However, when they went to the door, everyone groaned in unison. It had started to rain, and they all watched as the last remnants of snow were washed away in icy ribbons down the walkway. Bella pulled her hood up, secretly pleased that she wouldn’t have to sit around in the gym instead of going home after school.

In Biology, Edward smiled at Bella as she entered the room. She smiled back, and heard Mike scoff on his way to his own seat. Edward was planning to speak with Bella again that day, hoping to get a glimpse into her thoughts. He’d never cared about the minds of the other students in school before, but the fact that Bella’s mind was hidden from him was frustrating. He wanted to know what she was thinking, so his only option was to ask—something he hadn’t had to do in a very long time.

“Hello, Bella,” said Edward. “Are you enjoying the snow?” He had an amused look on his face when he said this, as if he already knew what her answer would be.

“Not really,” she replied.

"You don't like the cold." It wasn't a question.

"Or the wet."

"Forks must be a difficult place for you to live," he mused.

"You have no idea," Bella muttered darkly.

Mr. Banner called they attention to the boxes of slides in front of them, which they would be using for their lab today. The assignment was to separate the slides of onion root tip cells into the phases of mitosis they represented and label them accordingly. The students weren’t supposed to use their books. In twenty minutes, he would be coming around to see who had it right. Edward and Bella worked quickly. When they were finished—they were the first to do so—Edward picked up their conversation where they’d left off before.

“So, why did you come to Forks?” he asked. Bella was taken by surprise; no one had asked her that question directly.

"It's… complicated."

"I think I can keep up," he pressed, hoping common courtesy would keep her talking. Sighing, Bella looked up at him, meeting his gaze. That’s when she noticed the other change she had seen in the Cullens—the one she couldn’t pinpoint before. His eyes, once a striking, flat black, were now a strange ocher, darker than butterscotch, but with the same golden tone.

“My mother got remarried,” she said without thinking, distracted. “Did you get contacts?” she blurted out, again without thinking. It was hard to focus on what one was saying when talking to a Cullen.

“That doesn’t sound so complex,” he said. “And no.”

“Oh,” she mumbled. “I just thought there was something different about your eyes.” Edward shrugged, looking away. Nobody had ever noticed his eyes change color before. If he had known that was what she was thinking when she’d asked, he would have just told her he got contacts. There was a long pause that left Bella feeling uncomfortable.

“When did your mother get remarried?” he asked finally.

“Last September.” Bella’s voice sounded sad, even to her.

"And you don't like him," Edward surmised, his tone kind.

"No, Phil is fine. Too young, maybe, but nice enough." She had a faint smile on her lips as she said this.

"Why didn't you stay with them?"

Bella couldn't fathom his interest, but he continued to stare at her with penetrating eyes, as if her dull life's story was somehow vitally important.

"Phil travels a lot. He plays ball for a living." She half-smiled.

"Have I heard of him?" he asked.

"Probably not. He doesn't play well. Strictly minor league. He moves around a lot."

"And your mother sent you here so that she could travel with him." He said it as an assumption again, not a question. Bella’s chin raised a fraction.

"No, she did not send me here. I sent myself."

His eyebrows knit together. "I don't understand," he admitted, and he seemed unnecessarily frustrated by that fact. Bella sighed, wondering why she was explaining this to him.

"She stayed with me at first, but she missed him. It made her unhappy, so I decided it was time to spend some quality time with Charlie." Her voice was glum by the time she finished.

"But now you're unhappy," he pointed out.

"And?" she challenged. Edward felt that this one word offered more of a glimpse of the kind of person she was than anything she’d said so far. He could see clearly where she ranked herself among her own priorities. Her needs, he thought, must be very far down on that list. Where most human teenagers were selfish creatures, Bella was selfless.

"That doesn't seem fair." He shrugged, but his eyes were still intense.

"Hasn't anyone ever told you? Life isn't fair." Bella smiled, looking down at the desk.

"I believe I have heard that somewhere before," he agreed.

"So that's all," Bella insisted, wondering why he was still staring at her. His gaze became appraising. She sighed, looking up to scowl at the whiteboard.

"Am I annoying you?" he asked. He sounded amused. Bella glanced at him, and without thinking, told the truth again.

"Not exactly. I'm more annoyed at myself. My face is so easy to read. My mother says I’ve always been an open book." She frowned.

"On the contrary, I find you very difficult to read." He smiled, more to himself than to Bella. She didn’t understand the true meaning behind his words, but she at least felt he was telling the truth.

"You must be a good reader then," she replied.

"Usually." He smiled widely, flashing a set of perfect, ultra-white teeth. Bella was unable to take her eyes off of him. She may not have been attracted to him, but something about all of the Cullens drew her in in ways she couldn’t explain.

Mr. Banner called the class to order then, and Bella turned with relief to listen. She was in disbelief that she had just explained her life story to the bizarre, picturesque boy beside her. She tried to appear attentive as Mr. Banner illustrated, with transparencies on the overhead projector, what she had seen without difficulty through the microscope. When the bell finally rang, Edward lingered, a change from his usual routine. He was always the first one out of the room when class ended. Mike, noticing this, seemed to be uncomfortable. He waited for Bella like usual, but was fidgeting nonstop with the strap of his backpack, looking around the room at anything but Edward.

“What class do you have next?” Edward asked Bella when she was finished collecting her things.

“Gym,” Mike answered for Bella, looking away quickly when Edward looked at him. This was a normal reaction to Edward. Most humans could tell, instinctually, that something was strange about the Cullens. Nobody had ever held his gaze long enough to notice the color shifts in his eyes, not until the perceptive Bella came to Forks. His thirst dictated the shade of them, but this had never been cause for concern before. _Of course the one human whose mind is hidden from me is the human who notices too much_ , Edward thought. He should be frustrated, nervous even, but he wasn’t. Bella was beginning to grow on him, even if he continued to pretend he was only talking to her out of curiosity.

“I’ll catch up with you, Mike,” Bella told the boy. He looked a bit crestfallen, but started walking to class. Bella started heading that way too, pulling up her hood on the way out the door. Edward followed. “Can I ask you something?” She said to him.

“Of course,” he said.

“Why are you nice to me?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I just get the feeling that you don’t really talk to anyone else,” she said, looking over at him. He seemed conflicted, and took his time before answering.

“I don’t,” he said finally.

“Then why do you talk to me?”

“We’re lab partners, it would be rude of me not to,” he answered. She glared at him, unsatisfied with the answer.

“We aren’t in class anymore,” she pointed out. He looked down, smiling.

“No, I suppose we’re not.” Bella stopped walking and turned to face him.

“Then that can’t be your answer,” she said. Edward looked at her then, still smiling. He nodded to the door behind her. They were right in front the gym.

“You shouldn’t be late for class, Bella,” he said, an amused smile on his face. He was often amused with her, it seemed. Before she could think of a reply, he turned and walked away. She stood there for a moment, feeling confused and frustrated, before walking into class. She noticed then that the few kids who were already dressed down were staring at her as she walked in. She went to change, and when she came back, the class split into teams. They were playing volleyball again. Mike was on Bella’s team this time.

“What was that about? With Cullen?” Mike asked. Bella shrugged.

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. Mike furrowed his brows, but didn’t ask any more questions.

Mike was chivalrously covering both their positions during the game. Bella was grateful for it, glad that she wouldn’t have to risk hitting anybody, save for when it was her turn to serve.

After class, Bella was able to dress down quickly enough to finish before Mike, and walked out of the gym alone. It was just misting outside, but she pulled her hood up anyway, even if most of the other students around her didn’t bother. She was grateful to get into her truck, and held her hands to the air vents to warm them up before driving. That night was another quiet one, so she slept soundly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is--chapter three! I wanted to have it done yesterday, but obviously that did not happen. Anyway, hopefully this one's good!

Bella awoke that morning to find that a layer of snow now blanketed the yard, covered the top of her truck, and whitened the road, much to her dismay. All the rain from the day before had frozen solid as well, coating the needles on the trees and making the driveway a deadly ice slick. Today was a disaster waiting to happen, especially for Bella. She stood from bed with a deep sigh, and after getting dressed, went downstairs. Charlie had already left for work by the time she was awake, so the house was quiet. Bella felt that in a lot of ways, living with Charlie was like having her own place, and she reveled in the aloneness rather than feeling lonely. She was in the middle of pouring herself a bowl of cereal when the phone rang. She got up to answer it, wondering who could be calling so early.

“Hello?” Bella said into the phone. Instead of getting a normal reply, an automated voice message began to play. It was from the school, informing her that classes were cancelled because of the ice on the roads. Not knowing what to do with herself now that she was up this early, she went back to her room and checked her email. Nothing from her mom, but she decided to send her something anyway. Bella told her about the snow day, and after she sent it she decided to go back downstairs and clean up the house some. She watched the snow fall outside as she worked. It was only snowing lightly, the small flakes few and far between. She couldn’t say she was happy about the weather, but at least she didn’t have to drive in it, or endure another day of dodging snowballs between classes.

The day passed quickly. Bella was able to work ahead on her homework for a few of her classes, and spent some time reading after she finished the housework. Mike called, having finally organized the snowball fight he’d wanted to have when it had snowed at school before. He invited Bella, and she was quick to decline. He had seemed disappointed but that feeling seemed to pass quickly as he reminded Bella of the beach trip he was planning. She had already told him she would go, even though she was sure the beach they were going to wouldn’t be anything like what she felt a beach should be like. Surely it would not be warm, and the skies would not be clear. Later, in the evening, she had another peaceful dinner with Charlie, and went to sleep early that night shortly after eating. One good thing about snow, she thought, is that it falls silently.

In the morning, the school called again. There was no cancellation this time, but there was a two-hour delay. Bella got ready slowly, and when it was time, drove to school. She was cautious, as some of the backroads were still slick with ice, but the truck handled it with ease. Only when she arrived at school did she notice why—there were thin chains crisscrossed in diamond shapes around her tires. Charlie had gotten up early to put snow chains on her truck before he left for work. Bella’s throat suddenly felt tight. She wasn't used to being taken care of, and Charlie's unspoken concern caught her by surprise. She stood there for a moment, struggling to fight back the sudden wave of emotion the snow chains had brought on, before she was able to collect herself and head toward the school.

Bella nearly slipped on her way across the parking lot, and grabbed hold of the car next to her to steady herself. She was too busy trying to stay upright to notice it was the Cullens’ Volvo. Alice, who had conveniently left her books in the car and had had to go back for them, was leaning over the backseat to grab her things when Bella walked by. She straightened up while Bella struggled to find her footing on the ice, staring intently at her feet as they slid unpredictably beneath her.

“Are you alright?” Alice asked. Bella looked up at Alice, a little too quickly, and the sudden motion threw her off balance. She fell backwards. Alice rushed over to catch her without thinking, thankful that the parking lot was mostly empty, so nobody noticed her movement. Alice’s arm was now wrapped behind Bella’s waist, and Bella was bright red.

“How’d you do that?” Bella asked after taking a moment to catch her breath, the excess color now fading from her cheeks. She shivered, partly because Alice’s arm was cool where it was wrapped around her, and partly because of her proximity to the raven-haired girl.

“What do you mean?”

“That was fast.” Alice was a bit alarmed by this response. She hadn’t thought that Bella would even have time to notice her movement.

“Quick reflexes,” Alice said, hoping the girl hadn’t seen just how fast she’d moved. Bella just smiled as a reply, dropping the matter for now. Alice wasn’t sure what to make of this, but was happy to move on from her mistake. After a moment, Bella began to blush again, and Alice realized she was still holding her, staring. She righted Bella, this time away from the mound of ice by the car.

“Thanks,” Bella said, sounding a little breathy. Alice smirked, her arm still tingling from the contact with Bella.

“No trouble at all,” said Alice in her usual melodic voice.

Bella stood still for a moment, staring at her. Her heart was beating faster than usual, Alice noticed. She wasn’t sure if it was the near-fall or herself that caused that reaction in the girl. She hoped it was the latter. Turning slightly away from Bella, Alice tilted her head toward the school, silently suggesting they start walking that way. Bella glanced over at Alice before taking a hesitant step forward, worried about slipping again in front of her. Alice smiled, and they both started walking. She noticed that Bella was walking slower than usual, and was amused by this.

“What class are you headed to?” asked Alice, a small smirk finding a place on her lips again as she watched Bella’s careful steps.

“English,” said Bella.

“I’ll walk you over there,” Alice replied. Bella’s heart skipped again, and this time Alice was sure it was because of her.

“You don’t need to do that.” Bella looked down at her feet.

“How else can I be sure you didn’t slip again?” Bella blushed at this, her brows furrowing. Alice was worried she’d upset her. “I’m only teasing you,” Alice added, nudging Bella. Bella smiled slightly, but was still a bit embarrassed. She was usually fairly bad at interacting with pretty girls, and she did tend to be clumsier when she was nervous, but she had never humiliated herself like this. Twice now, nearly falling had acted as her opening line when talking to Alice. There was just something about the girl—all the Cullens, really, but Alice in particular—that made it hard to function. In an attempt to salvage her pride, she decided to try and turn this conversation around.

“So… what do you like to do for fun?” Bella said, immediately wishing she hadn’t opened her mouth. She resisted the urge to hide her face behind her hand. _Real smooth, Bella_ , she thought. Alice smiled; she clearly found Bella’s nervous attempt at transitioning to a normal conversation funny, but she kindly didn’t laugh.

“Well, I enjoy art. Design mainly, but I draw sometimes, too.”

“What sort of design?” Bella said, feeling like she’d salvaged at least some of her pride by asking a reasonable question this time.

“Fashion more than anything else, but my mother is an architect, and I will occasionally help her with decorating.” Alice replied, smiling at Bella again. She had that look on her face again; the one that made Bella feel like Alice already knew her.

“That’s really cool,” said Bella. “I’d love to see something you designed sometime.” She said this with a smile, but panic struck shortly thereafter as she realized that she’d essentially just asked Alice to spend time with her outside of school. Surely a girl like Alice wouldn’t be interested in that, Bella thought. Besides, no matter how Bella imagined Alice looked at her, they were strangers. She hoped her comment came off as casual, noncommittal.

“I’d be happy to show you,” Alice said, still smiling that easy smile of hers; it had scarcely left her face. They were at Mr. Mason’s door now, and Bella wished in that moment that her first period was further from the parking lot. She had been hoping for a longer walk. “Well,” said Alice, looking at the door to Bella’s classroom. “I’ll see you around?” She said it as a question, looking to Bella now for an answer.

“I’d… I’d like that,” Bella said. She felt her cheeks turning red, and cursed her tendency to blush. She smiled at Alice one last time before walking into class, hoping that wasn’t too forward a reply. Alice turned then and headed toward her own class with a grin she was unable to shake the whole way there.

“You’re late,” said Rosalie as Alice walked into Biology, speaking too quietly to be heard by human ears.

“I told you I forgot my books,” Alice replied. Rosalie arched a brow. Alice had known this wouldn’t fool her sister, but she didn’t know what else to say. She took her seat beside Rosalie at their shared table and placed her textbook gently on the desk, careful to act as casual as possible despite the excitement she felt at talking with Bella.

“It took you that long to get them?” asked Rosalie, eyeing Alice suspiciously. Alice’s shoulder raised a fraction in a subtle shrug. Rosalie sighed. She didn’t pursue the matter any further, and Alice turned her head to the side to smile at Rosalie to make sure they were not fighting. Rosalie was not the most agreeable of the Cullens, but she and Alice usually got along well. Rosalie didn’t return the smile—she was still annoyed that her sister wasn’t telling her something—but she nodded slightly in response. She hadn’t completely ignored Alice, which was a good sign. Alice bumped Rosalie’s shoulder with her own, and the corners of Rosalie’s mouth turned up a bit. Satisfied with this response, Alice turned her attention to Mr. Banner, taking notes despite the fact that with her education, she could easily teach the class herself. Alice was one of the only Cullens who regularly took notes during class, even though they all knew doing so would help them blend in. Jasper was the only other one who bothered, and that was because he was always desperate for some form of distraction to help with the burning in his throat he felt so deeply around humans. Today, Alice was taking notes as a distraction as well; she needed to take her mind off of Bella. She could not stop thinking about her, and thinking about her made Alice more attuned to her decisions. She wanted to respect the girl’s privacy, so she tried to keep her focus on other things. It was proving more difficult to do than she expected though, and she got lost in visions of the girl until Rosalie jabbed her in the ribs with her elbow (harder than Alice felt was necessary) to get her attention. She looked at Rosalie, her brows pulled together, and Rosalie nodded toward Alice’s paper. Her writing had begun to slope downward, and her usually light, elegant script had grown harder, more jagged. Looking more closely, Alice noticed that she had also switched at some point from the topic of Biology to bits of conversation, things she’d heard in her glimpses into the future. Rosalie glared at Alice. She knew something was off, and her suspicions from earlier only grew as her eyes flicked across the page of Alice’s notebook. Alice quickly turned to a fresh sheet of paper.

Bella saw Alice again between second and third period. Their paths almost always crossed during this passing time, and Alice always nearly said something before remembering Bella didn’t actually know her yet. Now that they had actually met though, Alice offered a chipper ‘hi, Bella!’ as they passed one another. Bella had smiled at her, though she still felt embarrassed about their encounter earlier. A few people looked between Alice and Bella after their interaction, likely wondering why Bella had captured both Alice’s and Edward’s attention in the short time she had known them. Bella kept her eyes down, for fear of having another talk like the ones she’d had with Mike about how strangely the Cullens behaved around her. She had to admit, she didn’t know why they paid attention to her either. She decided to confront Edward about it again during class.

In another part of the school, Alice received a vision of Bella and sat in Mrs. Goff’s class laughing silently to herself. She turned a few heads, but paid them no attention.

Bella wasted no time when she sat down in Biology after lunch that day.

“Good afternoon, Bella,” Edward said. Bella dropped her bag rather abruptly as she sat down in her chair, turning to face him fully. He raised his brows, looking at her with a surprised expression.

“You never answered me,” Bella said, not even bothering to say hello. Edward’s lips curled into a small smile.

“I can’t say I know what you mean,” he said.

“Before, when I asked you why you talk to me and no one else. You never answered.” Edward thought hard before answering, looking for some excuse to give her, but in the end he decided to give her an answer as close to the truth as he could manage without exposing his family.

“Well, Bella, I am intrigued by you,” he said finally.

“What the hell does that mean?” she demanded. Edward grinned, which only seemed to further irritate her. “I’m not sure what’s so funny.” At this, Edward laughed. He surprised himself (and many of their classmates) when he did so. He had never felt so himself with a human, and this closeness worried him, but he pushed that concern to the back of his mind for the time being.

“I’m sorry, Bella, you’re just…” He trailed off, shaking his head and chuckling once more. “You’re not nearly as threatening as you think you are,” he said, and it was true. Bella was surely trying to seem tough as she scolded him for his amusement with her, but she was so small, and so very human. It was entirely unconvincing. Bella turned away from him then, sighing in frustration.

“You’re avoiding answering my question again,” she reminded him.

“I’ve already told you why I find you interesting,” he said. She turned her head to look at him, a scowl still on her face. He resisted the urge to laugh again. “I find you uniquely difficult to read.”

“Why do you care, though?” she asked. Bella always asked Edward the questions he most hoped she wouldn’t think of.

“Well,” he began, preparing to tell her the truth again. “At first, I was simply bothered by it. I am very much used to being able to read people well.” He looked at her before continuing. She seemed a bit more relaxed. “Then, after getting to know you better, I found that I enjoy talking to you.” Bella looked down at her hands folded on the desk, a smile on her face. She didn’t quite know how to reply, but she appreciated Edward’s kindness. Unlike the other boys she’d met, he didn’t seem to be pining after her. He was just being kind because he appreciated her company, not because he wanted something from her. Knowing that meant a lot.

After Biology, Edward and Bella parted ways. He did not walk her to her class as he had last time. Mike was glad for this, and quickly swept Bella out of the room, chatting happily with her. Edward, on the other hand, was less than thrilled to have to say goodbye to Bella. They had talked all through their lab in class, and he wasn’t ready to end the conversation. The concern from earlier resurfaced then, and he was thinking about Bella as he walked into Spanish.

 _You look rough, kid,_ Emmett thought as Edward took his seat next to his brother.

“I’m fine,” he said under his breath. Emmett gave him a look, but he didn’t push Edward to talk to him if he wasn’t ready to. Edward always appreciated how easygoing Emmett was. He watched Edward periodically all through Spanish, occasionally thinking to himself about how strangely Edward was acting, but Edward was too focused on Bella to pay him any attention. He knew that Bella was too perceptive, and it was dangerous, considering he couldn’t read her mind to see how close to finding out about his family she was. However, he cared about her, and mentally kicked himself for allowing his curiosity to get the best of him. He should never have talked to her. He should have ignored her like he did with all the other humans at their school. He knew he needed to tell his family about her, but at the same time, he didn’t want to leave. For one, he knew Rosalie would kill him for making them leave so soon, and for another, he didn’t want to move away from Bella. He was still mulling it over as he got to the car with Emmett. Jasper and Alice were already at the car, and they all got in to wait for Rosalie.

 _Edward,_ Alice thought. Edward perked up, letting her know he heard her. _I know what you’re planning, but you can’t tell the family._

Edward tilted his head, wordlessly asking Alice for an explanation.

_I can’t leave her._

He tilted his head to the other side. Emmett looked between them, catching on. He hated when they had conversations like these. Alice didn’t reply, instead thinking about her old visions, the ones Edward had seen before of Alice with her future mate. This time though, the visions were complete, and he saw Bella Swan in all of them.

“Oh.”

_Please, Edward, I’ll talk to them with you, but I will not leave Forks. I won’t._

Edward was silent. He sighed, looking up at his rear-view mirror. Alice’s face was reflected in it, pleading.

“Tonight.”

_Okay._

“Seriously, you two!” Emmett said in an exasperated tone. Rosalie slid into the car then.

“Are they doing it again?” Rosalie said, smiling. Emmett folded his arms and nodded. Rosalie grinned at her husband, amused by his pouting, and rubbed his shoulders from her seat behind him. “What are you to mind-melding about this time?” she said as Edward backed out of the parking spot, rolling her eyes. When neither Edward nor Alice replied, her smile weakened. “Is it serious?” she asked. When again neither of them said anything, she glared at the pair, but it was wasted on them. They wouldn’t even meet her eyes. “Fine,” she said, sounding just as exasperated as Emmett had. She leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms across her chest, mimicking her mate’s position. Jasper shifted uncomfortably, feeling the full force of the tension in the car.

The charged silence did not lift the entire drive home. Edward parked in the garage, and was glad to find that Carlisle was already home when they arrived. He knew he and Alice would have to explain themselves as soon as they got inside, and he didn’t want to have this conversation without everyone there. They all walked into the house, and then Rosalie broke the silence.

“What the hell is going on here?” She demanded.

“What happened?” Carlisle asked, coming into the room upon hearing Rosalie’s tone.

“That’s what _I_ wanna know!” Emmett said, throwing his arms in the air. Carlisle looked over to Alice and Edward.

“Edward and I have some things we need to discuss with the family,” said Alice. Carlisle nodded.

“Of course,” Carlisle said, stepping back and extending his arm toward the dining room. The Cullens used the space a conference room, as they had no other use for it. The family filed in, and Esme, Carlisle’s wife, entered the room as well, having heard their discussion from her office upstairs.

“Are we in danger?” Esme asked. She loved her family more than anything, and her first priority was always to keep them all safe and together.

“I don’t think so,” Edward said at the same time Alice said, “no.” The family looked between them, waiting for one of them to elaborate.

“No, I’m positive we are not in danger,” Alice said. “The issue at hand is…”

“Complicated,” Edward supplied, a watery smile on his face.

“Come on, someone spit it out!” said Emmett. Edward and Alice exchanged a look, and Emmett groaned.

“Well, first, I feel you should all know that Bella Swan, Forks’ newest arrival, is far too observant for her own good,” said Edward, almost fondly. Jasper narrowed his eyes, sensing this affection. “She knows something is strange about us, and as I can’t read her mind, I have no way of knowing how close she is to figuring out what we are.”

“Dammit Edward, we _just_ moved here!” Rosalie said. “I _like_ it here. The sun virtually never shines. We can almost be normal.” She looked down at her lap, unable to look anyone in the eyes when she was so vulnerable. All the Cullens knew well that she, more than any of them, desperately wished to be mortal again. She almost never openly expressed this though, so it was always a significant moment when she did.

“Rose, I promise we do not have to move. Bella isn’t going to say anything,” Alice said.

“For now,” said Rosalie.

“Exactly,” Jasper said. “We know that she’s only suspicious right now. Why should we wait until she figures it out? If we leave now, all we’ll leave behind is a rumor.”

“I can’t leave,” Alice said. “And frankly, I doubt that Edward can either.” She looked at Edward, and a new vision came to mind then: she saw Edward, laughing with Bella here in their house, pulling her close and messing up her hair. She protests, but she’s laughing, too. In this vision, Bella and Edward are friends. Good friends. When the vision is over, Edward looks at Alice, feeling a lot less surprised than he should have at seeing himself behave that way with a human. He tilts his head at Alice, but there is a faint smile on his lips.

“Why is that?” Carlisle asks, looking between his two children curiously.

“Well, Bella has grown on Edward in the time he’s known her,” Alice began. “They are going to be _wonderful_ friends. As for me,” she said, looking around at her family. She took a slow, deliberate breath. “I’m in love with her. Or, at least I’m going to be.”


End file.
